US Expresses Concern Over Delay In Haiti Elections

WASHINGTON, DC Jun 9, (CMC) – The United States says it regrets the decision of the electoral officials in Haiti to extend the date when a new head of state could be elected in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.

The State Department said Washington “regrets that the electoral process is extended yet again with the president-elect unlikely to be installed before February 7, 2017.

“Our concern is that now taking this back to zero … will add to the length of the process and there needs to be leadership installed there,” the State Department noted.

On Wednesday, the European Union said it was closing its Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) in Haiti, after indicating that the decision by the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) to announce a new timetable for elections goes against the finding of the EOM.

EU Vice President, Federica Mogherini, said that the announcement of the new timetable for legislative and presidential elections implies the cancellation of the first round of presidential elections of October 2015.

“This announcement and its consequences go against the findings of the Electoral Observation Mission of the European Union (MOE / EU) deployed at the invitation of the Haitian authorities in July 2015. The Observer-in-Chief of the MOE / EU, MEP Ms. Valenciano, therefore considered that the conditions were not met for the continuation of its activities in Haiti,” she said, adding “therefore, after consultation with the Observer Chief of the EOM / EU, I decided to end this mission”.

There is widespread speculation here that the first round of the president elections will be held on October 9 and if a candidate does not receive the necessary amount of votes to prevent a second round, then that will take place on January 8, 2017 and the final election results will be published January 30, next year

The October elections would also include voting for one-third of the Senate.

But the Organization of American States (OAS) has welcomed the publication of the electoral calendar noting that the “continuation of the presidential, legislative and local elections is a critically important step towards the institutional stability of Haiti”.

The OAS called on all stakeholders to commit to the electoral calendar “as a way to reinforce the democratic process and institutions.

Haiti has been without an elected head of state ever since President Michel Martelly left office on February 7.